Salmonella Fears Oust Tomatoes

06/10/2008 07:16:34



DAYTON, Ohio -- Many food outlets and groceries, including Kroger, have pulled tomatoes off shelves due to several cases of salmonella food poisoning.

The outbreak actually began back in April but no one linked the illnesses to each other, or traced them back to tomatoes until just last week.

Now, restaurants and grocery stores are responding by pulling tomatoes and warning customers to do the same.

Cincinnati-based Kroger has also decided to pull all tomatoes from their produce aisles until the outbreak is contained. Other restaurants refusing to serve them include wendy's, chipotle, panera bread, and more.

The same strain of salmonella has been found in patients in sixteen states. New mexico and Texas have been the hardest-hit by the outbreak.

Contaminated produce has become a big problem in recent years. Last summer, Dole recalled lettuce bagged in Ohio after an E.coli outbreak. In 2006, a tainted spinach scare led to an unprecedented nationwide recall and three deaths.

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